Nine Arrested in British Counterterror Sweep

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) - British police say nine men are under arrest in what counterterrorism officials call an unprecedented kidnapping plot.

British broadcasters say the plan involved the beheading of a British Muslim soldier, whose torture and death would be shown on the Internet.

After a series of early morning raids, 12 houses and two Islamic bookshops in Birmingham, England, have been cordoned off for a police search.

The sweep is the latest to be carried out in Birmingham since 52 people were killed by suicide bombers in London in July of 2005. The most recent involved a plot to use liquid explosives to blow up U-S-bound airliners.

A police spokesman says the terror threat has been growing over the years, and this investigation took months.